Field
The present invention relates to cleaving die attach solder preform material, and more particularly, to cutters configured for cleaving die attach solder preform material and methods of cleaving the same.
Description of Related Art
Solder preform material is used as a die attach in packaging electronic chip components. Many solder alloys are commercially available as die attach performs; they are generally manufactured using a stamp and die cut to standard sizes. An example of a common size is 4 mm×4 mm, for instance. Present die attach fabrication technology, though, requires large machinery and specialized tools to manufacture individual stamp and die sets to cut specific sized solder preforms. This type of machinery is large and heavy and thus requires a dedicated area within a workshop or factory. In addition, the process of making the stamp and die sets requires the use of cutting oil to machine the parts. Solvents are needed to clean the machined parts prior to stamping the preforms to prevent contaminating the preform. Some environmental impact may exist with this method.
At times, there may be a need for custom die attach solder material on an ad hoc basis, especially, in a research and development (R&D) environment. But, this may not be cost effective. For instance, in the R&D environment the required quantity for any given size of preform may be quite small since R&D differs greatly from large scale commercial packaging quantities. Also, a commercial manufacturer will require a minimum order, and require several weeks lead time, in addition to a set-up charge for producing performs costing thousands of dollars.
A simple tool for cutting solder material would be useful. Unfortunately, brittle solders, such as gold/tin alloys, cannot be cut with scissors to specific dimensions from larger pieces of material as doing so will cause the brittle material to shatter rather than be cut to a desired size.